Sadrik
First Post
Here is a "thinking out loud" idea about how to deal with the dump stat issue of 4e:
Identify the issue:
Each stat is in a bi-polar relationship with another when determining your defenses.
STR or CON modifier makes up your FORT defense.
INT or DEX modifier makes up your REF defense.
WIS or CHA modifier makes up your WILL defense.
You can essentially dump one stat and suffer no loss as long as the other is high. If you double up in one area you are far less than ideal. What this will cause is characters to be strong but not tough or tough but not strong etc.
The biggest concern is the relationship between INT and DEX. Characters will almost always choose DEX over INT because DEX effects very useful skills and initiative and basic ranged attacks. INT only effects arcana, history, and religion and nothing else- no bonus skills or languages.
In contrast WIS has 5 skills attached, all of which can be called for multiple times in a session (perception, insight, nature, dungeoneering, heal).
CHA also has DM called skills attached (diplomacy, intimidate, streetwise, bluff).
For most characters there are no mechanical reason to have an INT score of higher than 8. As long as you have a Wizard in the party, they will have all of the knowledges and have all of the bases covered. If you want to play a character against type (smart fighter or rogue for instance) you are so sub par that it is almost a joke. Being quick is almost always better as seen below.
STR gives: can be used for fort, basic melee attack, carrying capacity, athletics skill
CON gives: can be used for fort, starting hp, healing surge bonus, healing surges per day, endurance
DEX gives: can be used for ref and ac, basic ranged attack, initiative bonus, acrobatics, stealth, thievery skills
INT gives: can be used for ref and ac, arcana, history, religion skills
WIS gives: can be used for will, perception, insight, heal, dungeoneering, nature skills
CHA gives: can be used for will, diplomacy, bluff, intimidate, streetwise skills
House Rule #1:
Move the WIS knowledge skills (heal, dungeoneering, nature (and yes they are called "knowledge" skills in the book)) to INT to beef up the stat.
Now if you want to identify natural monsters or dungeon monsters it is a INT based check rather than a WIS based check (no more intuition/hunch/perception checks to determine monster types). Heal is similar, medicine is not a perception/hunch kind of skill. The only times I have seen it called for in 3e is when people are trying to identify how somebody died, again that falls into the knowledge category. So the rule should make INT a little better when you are deciding if you want to go DEX or INT when designing a character.
Band Aid
It is a bit of a band aid and doesn't go to the heart of the problem being sub-optimal if you want to be smart and quick.
House Rule #2
Another option, an extreme option but a non-band aid option would be the player's choice, or thematic option. Choose three stats and assign a defense to it at level 1.
For instance, the player might pick these and define them in the following way:
Cha for Fort defined as Personal Lucky
Int for Will defined as Labyrinthine Mind
Str for Ref defined as Beyond Fit
Identify the issue:
Each stat is in a bi-polar relationship with another when determining your defenses.
STR or CON modifier makes up your FORT defense.
INT or DEX modifier makes up your REF defense.
WIS or CHA modifier makes up your WILL defense.
You can essentially dump one stat and suffer no loss as long as the other is high. If you double up in one area you are far less than ideal. What this will cause is characters to be strong but not tough or tough but not strong etc.
The biggest concern is the relationship between INT and DEX. Characters will almost always choose DEX over INT because DEX effects very useful skills and initiative and basic ranged attacks. INT only effects arcana, history, and religion and nothing else- no bonus skills or languages.
In contrast WIS has 5 skills attached, all of which can be called for multiple times in a session (perception, insight, nature, dungeoneering, heal).
CHA also has DM called skills attached (diplomacy, intimidate, streetwise, bluff).
For most characters there are no mechanical reason to have an INT score of higher than 8. As long as you have a Wizard in the party, they will have all of the knowledges and have all of the bases covered. If you want to play a character against type (smart fighter or rogue for instance) you are so sub par that it is almost a joke. Being quick is almost always better as seen below.
STR gives: can be used for fort, basic melee attack, carrying capacity, athletics skill
CON gives: can be used for fort, starting hp, healing surge bonus, healing surges per day, endurance
DEX gives: can be used for ref and ac, basic ranged attack, initiative bonus, acrobatics, stealth, thievery skills
INT gives: can be used for ref and ac, arcana, history, religion skills
WIS gives: can be used for will, perception, insight, heal, dungeoneering, nature skills
CHA gives: can be used for will, diplomacy, bluff, intimidate, streetwise skills
House Rule #1:
Move the WIS knowledge skills (heal, dungeoneering, nature (and yes they are called "knowledge" skills in the book)) to INT to beef up the stat.
Now if you want to identify natural monsters or dungeon monsters it is a INT based check rather than a WIS based check (no more intuition/hunch/perception checks to determine monster types). Heal is similar, medicine is not a perception/hunch kind of skill. The only times I have seen it called for in 3e is when people are trying to identify how somebody died, again that falls into the knowledge category. So the rule should make INT a little better when you are deciding if you want to go DEX or INT when designing a character.
Band Aid
It is a bit of a band aid and doesn't go to the heart of the problem being sub-optimal if you want to be smart and quick.
House Rule #2
Another option, an extreme option but a non-band aid option would be the player's choice, or thematic option. Choose three stats and assign a defense to it at level 1.
For instance, the player might pick these and define them in the following way:
Cha for Fort defined as Personal Lucky
Int for Will defined as Labyrinthine Mind
Str for Ref defined as Beyond Fit
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